(02-06-2025, 05:51 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: We have around $40+ mil available.

A Burrow restructure can add $19 mil.

If we start cutting guys like Rankins, Cappa, Hubbard, Moss, & Volson. That's another $30 mil.

Call it $90 mil.

Say Tee is $25 cap hit. All Chase & Trey will add is pro-rated signing bonus, say $10 for Chase & $5 for Trey. That's $40.

We'd still have $50 mil (or so) for Gesicki, Hilton/Hill, and more outside FA's (G, DT, DE, maybe TE/WR, S).

Draft whatever we whiff on/still need.

We only have 2 DTs under contract. Need 2-3 there.

Snoop Dogg said Joe Burrow can buy a batmobile, but not a good defense.

Here's the clip:@WCPO pic.twitter.com/mF4LE5XfLs

— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) February 7, 2025

(02-06-2025, 11:36 PM)cinci4life Wrote: He wins the comeback player of the year.

(02-06-2025, 11:49 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I suppose congrats, but that's not exactly the best award to have already won twice in a 5 year career. Hopefully he never wins it again.

(02-07-2025, 12:46 AM)cinci4life Wrote: Josh Allen gets MVP somehow. Smh

(02-07-2025, 12:46 AM)cinci4life Wrote: Josh Allen gets MVP somehow. Smh

(02-06-2025, 06:32 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I agree 100%. Great news is FO had not leveraged much of the future. Question becomes is will they begin to lecture not all, but more of the future with the 2025 new contracts. Do they have the cash to leverage more of the future by using signing bonuses to defer compensation.

As for Tee, I am not as concerned with honoring his request for a 4- or 5-year contract with one stipulation. The guaranteed portion needs to be between 55% to 60% maximum due to his injuries. We could offer Tee a 4-year deal for 90 million with 54 million guaranteed structured as follows:

20 million signing bonus deferred over 4 years = 5 million cap hit from 2025 through 2028

2025 Base - 3 million + 5 million deferred = 8 million cap hit 2025

2026 Base - 16 million + 5 million deferred = 21 million cap hit + 4 million roster bonus = 25 million cap hit

2027 Base - 17 million + 5 million deferred = 22 million cap hit + 6 million roster bonus = 28 million cap hit  (Guaranteed portion met)

2028 Base = 18 million+ 5 million deferred = 23 million cap hit + 6 million roster bonus = 29 million cap hit (none is guaranteed so we could cut him with no dead money)

Why would Tee do it?

2025 gets 23 million (Bonus + base) - all guaranteed
2026 gets 20 million - all guaranteed
2027 gets 23 million - Most guaranteed
2028 gets - 24 million if he plays well, he gets the full 90 million. (Not guaranteed)
Tee average per year = 90 million/4 = 22.5 million

He may want more. But as you can see, by giving a huge bonus in year 1, our 2025 cap is only 8 million in this scenario. Our cap escalates in years 2-4, but we will get more cap dollars in future cap, FO could choose to rollover the extra 10+ million they would have spent n 2025.

Would you reconsider signing tee for 4 years with an option to cut him in year 4 and save 24 million (other 5 million would dead cap) in this scenario?

This same thing can be applied to others as well. Trey, Jamar and anyone they are signing to 3- or 4-year deals. There are ways the team can leverage some of the future, but at the same time sign players to deals than can deduce the cap in the current year. Simply taking a contract of 4 years and dividing the contract by 4 is not accurate.

Most NFL contracts escalate each year and other then Watson are not fully guaranteed.

(02-06-2025, 01:12 PM)ERIC1 Wrote: lol@ pivotal moment"...sure Burrow wants Higgins to stay..but..resigning an often injured wide receiver with chronic hamstring problems is foolish..that would be typical Bengals..you do realize he misses 4-5 games a season and they also pull him out of numerous games early because he cant play...this team really needs  @ least  6-7 very good players on the OL/DL and linebacker position ..this team needs every dime it has, smart scouting, player development...there are plenty of secondary receivers both at the college level  waiting to be drafted and in the NFL that can run routes and catch a football for far less than 20-25 million a year

(02-06-2025, 06:41 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Yeah. If we buy the drop off is due to injury (Hubbard, Cappa), then a replacement may not be necessary. Rankins could be in that category as well. 

But LG needs upgraded even if Cappa rebounds. And Hubbard isn't a great pass rusher even at his best. And even with Rankins, we still need DT help. 

If we can get Tee, Chase, Trey, Mike G. and the Burrow restructure done quickly, it will help us attract other guys in FA. It will show we are serious about being a contender. 

A ring chaser/vet would have us on their list then. Some maybe be cheap (Calais Campbell at DT), mid-range (Zeitler at RG, Tart at DT), or even high end (Smith at RG). 

(02-06-2025, 11:44 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote:

Snoop Dogg said Joe Burrow can buy a batmobile, but not a good defense.

Here's the clip:@WCPO pic.twitter.com/mF4LE5XfLs

— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) February 7, 2025

(02-06-2025, 07:35 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Yep. I swear if they screw this up, it will be like being a Cleveland fan.

(02-07-2025, 10:28 AM)Tomkat Wrote: Dude, are you stupid?  You cannot just assume that Tee cannot stay healthy like it's a foregone conclusion.  He has earned the benefit of the doubt.

(02-07-2025, 10:37 AM)ERIC1 Wrote: I dont assume anything ..Higgins has missed a third of the season the past two years and many games that he has played in he is pulled early beacause of his hamstring issues..Are you not paying attention

(02-07-2025, 01:40 AM)Bengal Dude Wrote: There's never been more pressure on the FO than now. The star QB has been put them on notice and the players want to stay together.

If they botch this up, it would most likely cause irreparable damage between the organization and the fan base.

(02-07-2025, 10:41 AM)Tomkat Wrote: You cannot just assume he'll be injured like it's a foregone conclusion.  That's like thinking red or black is "due" to come up on a roulette wheel.
Is it possible he'll get injured?  Sure, but anyone can get injured.  Tee is good enough to be worth that risk.

(02-07-2025, 10:31 AM)Sled21 Wrote: It did not look to me like Joe appreciated that joke..... 

(02-07-2025, 01:40 AM)Bengal Dude Wrote: There's never been more pressure on the FO than now. The star QB has been put them on notice and the players want to stay together.

If they botch this up, it would most likely cause irreparable damage between the organization and the fan base.